100-Year-Old High School Dropout To Receive Honorary Diploma From ETHS

EVANSTON, IL — A 100-year-old woman who dropped out of Evanston Township High School in the midst of the Great Depression to help care for her family will receive an honorary high school diploma Tuesday.

Naomi Wheatley Thompson was born May 31, 1917, as the second of six children, Evanston Now reported. Her family moved from Washington to Evanston when she was a young girl. She was an ETHS student from 1932 to 1934, and she was due to graduate with the class of 1935.

Thompson began writing poetry five decades into her life, but she had long aspired to be a writer, according to the website. ETHS Superintendent Eric Witherspoon will present her with her diploma at a special ceremony at the Welcome Center from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.